L-3 names new divisional leader

SARASOTA — L-3 Aviation Recorders announced that R. Michael Smith has been named the company's new president. The move follows the recent relocation of former president Bruce Coffey to a separate L-3 company based in Georgia.

Smith has been with L-3 Aviation Recorders for 12 years. Prior to being named president, he served as the firm's senior vice president of business development. Smith began his career in aviation with The Boeing Co. after receiving a degree in aeronautical engineering from Ohio State University.

L-3 Aviation Recorders manufactures transportation solid-state recorders, also known as “black boxes.” The Sarasota firm is a subsidiary of L-3 Communications, a New York-based company with 62,000 total employees and $15.6 billion in 2009 revenues.